Nigerian Flight Deck Travel and Business Reportage
- Says FG addressing multiple entry
AIR PEACE has revealed that it is making arrangements to start operations into Mumbai, India one of its approved international destinations in the next two months revealing that the Federal Government has given the airline approval to operate flight to TelAviv, the economic and technological centre of Israel.
The Chairman of the Airline, Allen Onyema disclosed in a chat with reporters said “Between now and end of Mach we will hit Mumbai. We have also been given approval to fly to Tel Aviv.”
On the TelAviv flight operation, Onyema went down history explaining that Nigeria severed diplomatic ties with Israel in 1973, as result of the strained relations between the two countries over the Arab-Israeli conflict and Nigeria’s position on the Palestinian issue.
He, however said relations between the two countries was restored in 1992 but lamented that despite years of re-establishing bilateral relations between Nigeria and Israel, there was no direct flight from Nigeria to Israel and vis versa.
He hinted that very soon Israeli authority would be in Nigeria to concretize the operations.
Relations have since been balanced and have flourished into many areas of mutual benefit such as the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and other holy sites in Israel, economic, political security and agricultural relations.
According to Onyema, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Air Peace planned flight operations to Israel, will further strengthen the already existing bilateral relationship between the two countries.
He also called for support for Air Peace and other domestic airlines in the country, adding that because they employ a lot of Nigerians, they must be supported to grow.
On the issue of multiple designations, the Chairman of Air Peace stated that the Federal Government has been addressing the issue, as the government no longer approves multiple designations for foreign airlines.
Air Peace and other domestic airlines, he said are very grateful to the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika for addressing the issue, which according to him was at the detriment of local operators.
“See at a point some of these foreign airlines were seeking approval to fly into my village Obosi, even when there is no airport there. But I have to thank Federal Government and by extension the Minister of Aviation as they have started halting these multiple flights,” he commended.
